When Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States in the summer of 2026, they are sure to look back on the nation's humble beginnings and the Founding Fathers who risked everything to gain independence from Great Britain.

While it's important to recognize and honor the brave individuals who played integral roles in the founding of the United States, more recent American history also is worth noting when the nation celebrates its 250th birthday in 2026. It's only been 26 years, but the twenty-first century has already produced some noteworthy moments in American history.

• 2000: The Supreme Court stops the Florida recount. The first presidential election after the 1990s proved to be a memorable one, as George W. Bush narrowly defeated Al Gore in a hotly contested affair. Neither candidate conceded defeat on election night, and the United States Supreme Court ultimately decided the election when the justices issued a landmark decision in Bush v. Gore, which stopped a recount in Florida and awarded the state's electoral votes to Bush, who then became the 43rd President of the United States.

• 2001: The 9/11 attack on America shocks the world. Nearly 3,000 Americans and international citizens were killed in the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Four airliners were hijacked that morning, and the nineteen hijackers flew three of the planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania after a passenger revolt. In the aftermath of the attacks, which American government officials soon identified as the work of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the United States launched a worldwide war on terror.

• 2008: Barack Obama becomes America's first Black president. Barack Obama was a junior senator from Illinois when he secured the Democratic nomination for president in June 2008. That nomination was historic, as it marked the first time an African American was designated as a major political party presidential nominee in U.S. history. Obama continued making history during the election, which proved to be a decisive victory over Arizona Senator John McCain on November 4, 2008. With that victory, Obama became the first African American president in American history. 

• 2008: Bernie Madoff is arrested for running a massive Ponzi scheme. Roughly five weeks after Obama won the presidential election in November 2008, financier Bernie Madoff was arrested in New York City for running a massive Ponzi scheme that he had begun in the early 1990s. Sixty-five billion dollars was reportedly missing from client accounts at the time of Madoff's arrest, though much of that was gains fabricated by Madoff. Later estimates suggested direct losses to unknowing investors in Madoff's scheme totaled roughly $18 billion. Less than a year after his arrest, Madoff pleaded guilty to a wide range of financial crimes and was sentenced to 150 years in prison, where he died in 2021.

• 2016: The Chicago Cubs win the World Series. A 108-year championship drought finally ended for the Cubs and their faithful fans shortly after midnight on November 3, 2016. In a thrilling, seven-game World Series, the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-7 to secure the franchise's first World Series title since 1908. The game was widely recognized as an instant classic, as Cleveland outfielder Rajai Davis hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. The game ultimately ended up going into extra innings and was even interrupted by a brief rain delay. The Cubs promptly scored two runs in the top of the tenth inning and survived another Cleveland rally in the home half of the frame to secure the historic victory.